Rhodes/Hastings Memorial Day Cookout & Games

Yesterday was a lot of fun. I had the day off work (my first 3 day weekend since starting the new job at Baylor in February), so it was great to have more time to relax!

Billy & Paula had the Hastings family over to their place to celebrate the day. We had delicious kabobs from the grill & lots of good food.

After the meal, many people got in the pool to deal with the humid, Texas heat.

Billy was very creative & had many fun pool games with prizes for the following events: relay race, holding your breath the longest underwater, basketball hoop shoot, canonball, head first dive. (I don't think I left any events out, did I?)
I believe that the overall winner for the majority of the events was Tyler, with David Roseberry being a close 2nd.

Everyone had lots of fun.

I got creative & made the dessert you see in the pictures. It was from the Taste of Home magazine & is called "wave your flag cheesecake." I had to take a picture because it actually looked like the picture in the magazine & I was excited about it.

Anyway, Happy Memorial Day to all!

Lifegift 2nd Chance Run 5K

On Saturday morning (yes, the morning of our 5th anniversary), I had the opportunity to run a 5K for an organ donor pool with some co-workers. I've been a pretty steady runner/jogger the past 7-8 years, doing only about 2 miles, 3 days/week. It is mainly for my health & is a great way to relieve stress.

So this run was totally just a "for fun" thing.

Well, it turns out that I ended up doing very well. I ended up finishing in 26:37, finishing 67th overall, getting 2nd place in my age group, including a metal & everything! (I didn't think I won anything, so I didn't stay around for the awards ceremony).

This is very exciting to me, as I never really saw myself as actual competition before. This race may have inspired me to start running more 5Ks. As for a marathon, it is a goal I have for someday, when I have more time to train.

Here is the link with the race results, for those of you who still don't believe me:
http://www.runtimeracingservices.com (click on lifegift 2nd chance run 5K, then click 5K overalls).

Here is the link to see pictures of me running the race, in case you need further proof: http://www.movin-pictures.com/EventPhotos.html (click on lifegift 2nd chance run, enter 31 into the BIB number box, click continue).

I hope this inspires some of you "I'm too old to start running, etc" people out there to get moving! If I can do it, you can too!

Happy 5th Anniversary to Us!

5 years! It's hard to believe how much can happen in this amount of time. So far, we have lived in 3 states (Arkansas, Ohio, & Texas), have had 4 different jobs between both of us, have gone through Susie finishing school, Kyle with law school, all kinds of moving here & there, along with many new friends along the way.

I'm not where I thought I would be or doing what I thought I would be doing 5 years ago when I married Kyle, but know that God has a plan better than anything I could ever plan for myself.

For our anniversary this year, Kyle surprised me with a romantic picnic at the River Legacy Park in Arlington. It was a beautiful day & we enjoyed several hours enjoying creation & each other. He packed a delicious picnic lunch, along with some fresh spring flowers that I'm still enjoying today.

He even made a dessert...a mini cherry pie! (just kidding, he really didn't make this, but it was yummy!)
For dinner, Billy & Paula treated us to "The Lonesome Dove" in Fort Worth, a very unique, special restaurant, to celebrate. Brett & Amanda also joined in the celebration. The food was very unique, but delicious. It was the first time I had ever eaten kangaroo for an appetizer! (Rattlesnake was also on the menu, but I wasn't feeling that adventurous yesterday!)
I thank God for Kyle everyday. He has been an amazing husband to me & I'm happy to see what the future holds for us.

Mother's Day 2008

Mother's Day was enjoyed in Texas this year at Billy & Paula's house with the Rhodes side of the family. Here are a few pics from our afternoon. It was a beautiful sunny day. Kyle & I are learning why people down here enjoy the spring in Texas...because the summer is very ridiculously hot!

The 21st Time...

There is a song on the radio out right now by Monk & Neagle called "The 21st Time." To be honest, I didn't really pay attention to the words at the beginning. A few Sundays ago, our preacher played the video & lyrics during the church service. Ever since that time, when I hear this song on the radio, I get to thinking....how can I reach out to those in need? I have been praying about more ways to show others Jesus through just simple random acts of kindness in life. Think about it....many of us have seen someone at the grocery store who is counting up money & pulling things out of their cart or recently at the gas pumps with the spike in prices.

Listed below are the lyrics to this song, in case you are not familiar with it. I also included the link to the video of it on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvqwHGH3Tlw

May God bless you all!

"The 21st Time"
Nowhere to live
Nowhere to fall
He used to have money, But he’s wasted it all
His face is a photograph burned in mind
But I pretend not to see him for the twenty-first time.

He sleeps under stars, it’s all he can afford
His blanket’s an old coat he’s had since the war
He stands on the corner of Carter and Vine
But I pretend not to see him for the twenty-first time.

He may be a drifter who’s grown old and gray
But what if it’s Jesus and I walk away
I say I’m the body and drink of the wine
But I pretend not to see him for the twenty-first time
She’s 29 but she feels 48
She can’t raise three kids on minimum wage
She’s crying in back of the welfare line
But I pretend not to see her for the twenty-first time

She may be a stranger trying to get through the day
But what if it’s Jesus and I walk away
I say I’m the body and drink of the wine
But I pretend not to see her for the twenty-first time

This is a call for a change in my heart
I realize that I’ve not been doing my part
When I needed a Savior, I found it in Him
He gave to me, now I’ll give back to them
Drifter or stranger, daughter or son
I’ll look for Jesus in everyone‘
Cause I am the body and drink of the wine
And I’m thankful there’s more than the twenty-first time.